December 1, 2015: A few recollections of Ptolemy as a baseball fan of many years

The following is the text of an e-mail I wrote today to Amanda Nichols, my season ticket liaison executive who works for the San Francisco Giants:


Did you know that I was in the stands for the last game of the 1962 World Series?  I can still see in my mind's eye the greatest villain who ever played the game, Bobby Richardson, catching McCovey's line drive.  Nobody, however, could make a relay throw from second base on a 6-4-3 double play like Bobby Richardson.

I saw the last seven innings of the 16 inning marathon pitching duel between Marichal and Warren Spahn ended by Willie's home run.

I was in Dodger Stadium the Saturday night when Drysdale hit Dick Dietz with a pitch and the umpire ruled that Dietz didn't try to get out of the way.  No one ever got angrier on the field than Dietz that night.  Drysdale held the consecutive scoreless innings record for many years after that.

I saw Ted Williams go four for five in a night game in Yankee Stadium in 1947, and I saw the home run he hit in Fenway the day before he got called up to go to Korea for his second tour of duty in 1952 (or 1951).  

When I was eight years old my dad, having driven us up to Detroit from Marion, Indiana, took me to see Hank Greenberg in Briggs Stadium.  It was 1940.  

I sat within 60 feet of Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella (greatest athlete -and catcher - who ever played baseball) in Braves Field Boston in 1952.  

I saw Mickey Mantle strike out six times in eight at bats in the Memorial Day double header in Fenway in 1951 when Mickey was a rookie.  He was booed mercilessly by the Fenway fans.  Fans weren't nice in those days.  Joe DiMaggio slid into third on a triple that afternoon right in front of where I was sitting.  I can still see his graying temples flashing when his cap came off during the slide.

Vin Scully and I shopped in the same drug store in Brentwood in the early '70's.  He was a widower. He then married the receptionist in the office where I worked in Century City.

I never saw Bob Gibson, but Sandy Koufax is the greatest pitcher who ever lived.  There is no one in second place.

Old Giants?  I saw Johnny Mize, Whitey Lockman, Alvin Dark and Sal Maglie.  I saw Al Rosen play for Cleveland.  My memory is hazy about this, but i think I remember where I was standing listening to the broadcast when Willie made the catch in the 1951 World Series.  I remember the Chronicle headlines when Willie signed to play for $100,000 for the season, and I remember his difficulties as reported in the press with his first wife, Marguerite, a real piece of work.

Is that why we love baseball?

s/[Ptolemy]